Recommended Islamic Reading Material

Introductory books to Islam

1. “Towards Understanding Islam,” by Abu’l A’laa Mawdudi
   A cogent, vigorous, well-written book; well translated from the original Urdu.

2. “The Purpose of Creation,” by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Dar Al Fatah

3. “The Qur'an and Modern Science,” by Maurice Bucaille edited by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
   

4. “The Best of Islaam,” by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Dar Al Fatah
   An inspirational selection of Qur'anic verses and statements of Prophet Muhammad, that explain the best behaviour in various aspects of life.

5. Islam in Focus by  Hammudah Abdalati This book provides comprehensive information on Islam and how Muslims worship and live. (My Favourite)

Islamic belief

1. “The Fundamentals of Tawheed,” by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
   The best introduction to the Islamic concept of Monotheism.

2. “The Criterion between the Allies of the Merciful and the Allies of the Devil,” by Ibn Taymiyyah, Idara Ihya us-Sunnah
   A guide for distinguishing between authentic and false spirituality.

3. “Kitab ut-Tawheed,” by Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab, Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
   Makes clear many issues related to the proper worship of God along with actions that contradict monotheism with concise proofs from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

The Qur'an

1. “The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an,” revised translation by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, Muslim World League in Canada
   Pickthall’s translation was the first I ever read, and I consider it pretty accurate. It is marred by the use of Elizabethan English, designed, I suppose, to remind readers of the King James Bible. The revised translation does away with most of the more jarring archaisms.

Hadith Literature

1. “Sumarized Sahih Al-Bukhari,” translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Maktaba Dar-us-Salam.
   The most authentic compilation of statements by Prophet Muhammad and incidents from his life. The summarized version eliminates the repetitions that make the original difficult reading. The translation is serviceable, but stilted. Marred by a complete lack of explanatory notes.

2. “Sahih Muslim,” translated by Abdul-Hamid Siddiqi
   The second-most authentic compilation of statements by Prophet Muhammad and incidents from his life. The translation is serviceable, but stilted, with some scattered errors. There are extensive footnotes, many of which are useful.

3. “Riyad-us-Salihin,” compiled by Imam an-Nawawi, translated by S.M. Madani Abbasi.
   No Muslim’s house should be without Imam an-Nawawi’s book, a comprehensive, well-organized condensation of the Sunnah related to everyday life. Unfortunately, there is no really good translation in English. Madani’s translation is several notches below that of “Sahih Muslim,” and “Sahih Al-Bukhari.” Zafrullah Khan’s translation, known as “Gardens of the Righteous,” is certainly better English than Madani’s, but Khan is a Qadiani, and his translation is not that accurate.

4. “Commentary on the 40 Hadith of Imaam An-Nawawee,” by Jamal Din Zarabozo, Basheer Publications.
   Excellently researched with critical evaluation of the scholarly opinion cited.

Biographies of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

1. “The Sealed Nectar,” by Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
   The original Arabic won first prize in a world-wide competition for a modern biography of the Prophet (pbuh). Unfortunately, the English translation is quite stilted.

Jesus and Christianity

1. “The True Message of Jesus Christ,” by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Dar Al Fatah
   A concise overview of Jesus’ original message and how it got changed.

2. “Jesus, a Prophet of Islam,” by Muhammad ‘Ata’ur-Rahim and Ahmad Thompson, Ta-Ha Publishers

3. “For Christ’s Sake,” by Ahmad Thompson and Muhammad ‘Ata’ur-Rahim, Ta-Ha Publishers
   A history of the struggle between Unitarian and Trinitarian interpretations of Christianity. The most compelling portion covers the period immediately after Jesus until the time of Prophet Muhammad. Relies heavily on Edward Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”

4. “The Myth-maker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity,” Hyam Maccoby, HarperCollins
   A British Talmudic scholar’s analysis of Paul’s role in formulating Trinitarian Christianity. If he had written this book a few centuries ago, he would have been burned at the stake.